Justice League Dark (Vol. 2)

Covering the era of the second Justice League Dark series (2018-)…

After the events of Justice League: No Justice, Wonder Woman formed a new Justice League Dark group of magical superheroes. The initial roster is Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Man-Bat and Detective Chimp.

As there is no regular Swamp Thing series running concurrently, I am listing all of Swampy’s post-No Justice appearances on this page.

Appearances that I consider to be fairly minor are indented. The below titles were published by DC Comics unless otherwise noted.

Justice League: No Justice (2018) #4July 2018
Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson [w], Francis Manapul [p]Earth is threatened by the Omega Titans. The superheroes assembled by the late Brainiac survey the destruction of Colu, while the vengeful Vril Dox travels to Earth and helps the Cosmic Trees to grow. Amanda Waller is preparing to nuke the trees when the heroes arrive. Cyborg taps into the data that Waller downloaded from Brainiac and directs the group to pick a fruit from one of the trees. They charge the fruit with all four energies (Mystery, Wisdom, Wonder and Entropy) and fire it into the Entropy Titan. This causes the other Titans to eat their brother. Waller and Vril Dox flee, and a new Justice League is formed. Wonder Woman discovers that the Cosmic Trees have been kept alive, and she decides to form a team to find out why she is connected to the Tree of Wonder and the world’s magical community.The Justice League Dark (Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Man-Bat and Detective Chimp) appear on the last page.

Justice League (2018) #1“The Totality Part 1”, August 2018
Scott Snyder [w], Jim Cheung [p]The Justice League battles a worldwide invasion by six powerful Neanderthal tribes (dubbed Neoanderthals) orchestrated by Vandal Savage. The Earth’s crust begins to break apart and Martian Manhunter is forced to destroy the moon to save the Earth. As the world is being repaired, the Justice League meet. J’onn J’onnz explains that a ball of energy (called the Totality) is hurtling towards Earth from the broken Source Wall. As the group tries to decipher its message, John Stewart prepares to destroy it. Elsewhere, Savage is confronted by Lex Luthor, who believes Savage knows more about the Source Wall. Luthor assembles a Legion of villains and kills Savage, which causes Savage’s knowledge to be imparted upon J’onn J’onzz in the form of a terrible vision of the future.Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman are seen battling the Neoanderthals at the equator, and Swampy is mentioned as helping to repair the world.

Justice League (2018) #2“The Totality Part 2”, August 2018
Scott Snyder [w], Jorge Jimenez [p]Green Lantern John Stewart is transporting a criminal when Swamp Thing grows in his spacecraft from a Blue Moebius flower. He assumes the shape of Batman, who asks Stewart for help, explaining that the Totality landed in Nevada and has assumed the form of a large head. Though Killer Croc was mutated when attempting to enter the Totality, J’onn J’onnz and Superman decide to investigate further, with Batman and Kendra also transported via tiny vehicles within their bodies. Later, Sinestro attacks John Stewart, recruiting him to be a lantern of the Unseen Light (the invisible emotional spectrum) and Stewart attacks the rest of the Justice League. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor explains to his group, the Legion of Doom, that they must unlock the seven hidden forces of the universe if they are to use the Totality. A miniaturised Luthor then stows away within Superman’s body when he enters the Totality.

Damage (2018) #6“Unnatural Disaster (Conclusion): Beauty and the Beast”, August 2018
Robert Venditti [w], Diogenes Neves [w, p], Tomeu Morey, Danny Miki, Tony Daniel [c]Damage is attacked by Grodd, Poison Ivy and an army of apes. Grodd disables Damage and senses Ethan Avery’s human consciousness trapped within him. Poison Ivy has a change of heart and decides not to help Grodd. While Grodd is distracted, Damage knocks him unconscious, and all of the apes retreat. Damage sleeps and later awakens as Ethan and meets Swamp Thing. Swampy explains that the Green is preparing Poison Ivy to be the next avatar, and asks Damage to destroy the jungle that Ivy has created. The next day, Ethan travels down the Mississippi on a cruise ship but he is pursued by military agents.

The Flash (2016) #49“Flash War Part 3”, August 2018
Joshua Williamson [w], Howard Porter [p]Wally West’s family are trapped in the Speed Force and he wants to retrieve them, but Barry Allen is concerned about what might happen. As they argue, they race around the world causing destruction. They eventually try to enter the Speed Force but unwittingly break the Force Barrier, which frees Zoom. Zoom dons the Flash suit and wields extra Force powers to fight Barry and Wally.Swamp Thing appears with Zatanna in one panel, concerned by the effects caused by the battle between the Flashes.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up (2014) #40“How’s Bayou?”, September 2018
Sholly Fisch [w], Dario Brizuela [p, c], Franco Riesco [c]Scooby’s gang, accompanied by Shaggy’s uncle Chester, travel to the swamp to investigate the disappearance of several townspeople. They find the missing persons, who have been entranced by the Voodoo Queen and behave like zombies. The gang flees the zombies and Solomon Grundy (who has also been hiding in the swamp) until they are saved by Swamp Thing. Swampy ties up Grundy and the Voodoo Queen, and reverses the effect of the plant-based potion to return the “zombies” back to normal. Finally, Scooby’s gang are introduced to Abby.This is the first appearance of Chester Williams since Swamp Thing #170 (Sept. 1996) and the story seems to be set during the 1980s run when Chester and Abby were prevalent in Swampy’s life.

Justice League Dark #1“The Last Age of Magic Chapter 1”, September 2018
James Tynion IV [w], Alvaro Martinez Bueno [p, c], Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson [c]Zatanna’s magic fails during a performance and Diana (Wonder Woman) is forced to intervene when Zatanna is attacked by a monster. Diana argues that magic is broken and tries to convince Zatanna to join her team. Various magicians, including Zatanna and Constantine, descend on Wintersgate Manor where Zatanna’s father Zatara was once killed (in Swamp Thing #50, July 1986). Later, Zatanna finds Swamp Thing at the Tree of Wonder, which has a message for Zatanna. She sees a vision of Zatara who delivers a cryptic warning about the coming of the Otherkind. Wonder Woman travels to the Oblivion Bar and talks to Bobo (Detective Chimp) about her struggle to find recruits. Bobo explains that he has inherited the role of Nightmaster from the deceased bar owner Jim Rook. Wonder Woman takes him to the Justice League Dark base beneath the Hall of Justice, where Man-Bat has been inspecting strangely mutilated bodies. They are attacked by the grotesque bodies, and Zatanna and Swamp Thing arrive to help defend the heroes.

Suicide Squad (2016) Annual #1“For The Wicked, No Rest”, October 2018
Cullen Bunn [w], Ronan Cliquet [p], Paul Pelletier, Mick Gray, Hi-Fi [c]At Belle Reve prison, surgeons are not able to save murderer Dennis Gaines, who has been surgically attached to a woman Cadence Laramie. After Gaines dies, Cadence escapes with the assistance of the violent spirits of Gaines’ victims. Amanda Waller assembles a team of criminals to catch Laramie but many of them are killed by Laramie’s spectres. Swamp Thing tries to protect Laramie, and Waller’s team are now directed to capture both Laramie and Swampy. After Shimmer is killed, Scream Queen kills Laramie, which dissipates the spirits. The two surviving criminals report to Waller but Waller kills Scream Queen as punishment, leaving Merlyn as the sole survivor of the team. Swampy briefly confronts Waller before departing, leaving the ghost of Laramie and the other spectres to watch over Waller.

Justice League Dark #2“The Last Age of Magic Chapter 2”, October 2018
James Tynion IV [w], Alvaro Martinez Bueno [p, c], Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson [c]Diana recalls witnessing a ritual by witches as a young girl, and then being branded by the goddess Hecate. In the present day, the JLD defeat the reanimated corpses and Zatanna relays what she saw at the Tree of Wonder. They travel to Doctor Fate’s tower where they seek an audience with Nabu. Fate explains that primitive sorcerers known as the Lords of Order have attempted to control magic throughout time. He suddenly reveals himself as Nabu and admits that he has summoned the Otherkind to reclaim magic and remove it from the Earth. The Upside-Down Man then appears in the tower. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing investigates the Tree of Wonder and meets Constantine, who criticises him for wanting to retire to the Parliament of Trees.

Harley Quinn (2016) #50“Destroys DC Continuity”, November 2018
Sam Humphries [w], John Timms, John McRea, et al. [p]Harley visits Coney Island with her mother, but her mother is retconned out of existence when they begin reading a Harley Quinn comic. Harley is aided by Jonni DC, Continuity Cop, as Continuity shockwaves transport them through alternate versions of comic stories and characters. They eventually find the comic’s author, M. Clutterbuck, who is Harley’s biggest fan, but they are unable to stop the universe from being destroyed. Left all alone with a pencil and paper, Harley creates a comic that brings her mother and the rest of the DC Universe back into existence. Swamp Thing appears in a couple of panels on around p. 9 when continuity is destroyed and a various characters stream out of the comic book. Swampy later appears as a pirate during a battle between pirate versions of Batman and Superman.

Justice League (2018) #7“The Totality Conclusion”, November 2018
Scott Snyder [w], Jim Cheung [p]Hawkgirl fights Lex Luthor, who wants to possess the Totality. The rest of the Justice League work together to prevent the sentient sun Umbrax from consuming the Earth, with Flash using the Still Force to successfully close the cosmic membrane. The Legion of Doom retreat and Hawkgirl brings the Totality to the Hall of Justice. The Justice League want to investigate the Totality to determine whether the design of the universe is ultimately cruel (as the Legion believe) or good. Starman suddenly appears in the Hall of Justice, while Luthor seeks help from the Batman Who Laughs.Swamp Thing and the rest of the JLD appear at the Hall of Justice.

Mister Miracle (2017) #11November 2018
Tom King [w], Mitch Gerads [p]Mister Miracle and Barda try to broker peace with Darkseid by offering him their child. Darkseid is not able to forget the Anti-Life Equation but he plucks out one of his eyes so that he cannot wield the Omega beams. With the deal made, Miracle and Barda ask to say goodbye to their son, but they attack Darkseid with a weapon. Darkseid overpowers Barda and tries to take Miracle’s eye, but Miracle stabs Darkseid in the head with a sword made out of Orion’s body. Once Darkseid is dead, his follower Desaad is revealed to be Metron, who shows Mister Miracle and Barda the wider DC Universe.Swamp Thing is one of the DC characters revealed to Mister Miracle and Barda by Metron.

Justice League Dark #3“The Last Age of Magic Conclusion”, November 2018
James Tynion IV [w], Alvaro Martinez Bueno [p, c], Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson [c]The Upside-Down Man battles and defeats the JLD, expelling the demon’s blood from Constantine. A powerful magic is unlocked from within Wonder Woman and she banishes the Upside-Down Man and heals the rest of her team.

The Flash (2016) #55“Faster Than Thought Part 1”, November 2018
Joshua Williamson [w], Scott Kolins [p]The Flash (Barry Allen) and the Justice League Dark defeat a rampaging Solomon Grundy in Central City. Flash later goes to a bar with Iris and some detectives from the CCPD, and Iris speaks to the bartender Commander Cold (who is from the future) about the new Forces the Flash is experiencing. In Iron Heights prison, Heat Wave spontaneously combusts. When Flash investigates, fire monsters appear in the prison looking for Heat Wave and track him to a hospital. Heat Wave explodes again, destroying the building, before reappearing transformed.

The Terrifics (2018) #8-9“Tom Strong & the Terrifics Part Two”, November 2018“Tom Strong & the Terrifics Part Three”, December 2018
Jeff Lemire [w], Dale Eaglesham [p, c], Ivan Nunes [c]Phantom Girl helps Mr. Terrific, Tom Strong, Rex Mason (Metamorpho) and Plastic Man escape from a tree in the Forest of Eternity. Tom explains that each tree in the forest contains a portal to an alternate reality and Doc Dread has thrown his family into different portals. The group splits up, finding themselves transported to the Aztech Empire, Funnyland and Slaughter Swamp. Tesla Strong and Solomon are rescued but the portals close and the heroes are stranded until they are rescued by Dhalua. In Slaughter Swamp, Swamp Thing attacks Mr. Terrific and Tom Strong until they realise they are on the same side. Terrific and Tom travel to the Terrifictech building in Gotham where they are taunted by a robot drone of Dread who explains that he is going to blow-up the building and frame them. Many more Dread drones attack the heroes but, with the help of Dhalua and the others, they defeat the robots and disarm the bomb. Meanwhile at Stagg Mansion, Sapphire rejects Java’s romantic advances and later realises that he is Dread.Swamp Thing is promoted as the guest star on the cover of #8, but only appears on the last page. Swampy has a more significant appearance in issue #9.

Justice League (2018) #9“Good Morning Moon”, December 2018
Scott Snyder [w], Jorge Jimenez [p]While Batman is receiving surgery, Superman is attacked by Coronavores when attempting to reconstruct the Moon. Superman realises that Batman is behind the attack as part of a scheme to convince Superman to turn the Moon into a defensive weapon. Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, Wonder Woman builds a chapel and discusses living quarters with Aquaman, while Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter spar and discuss what they saw in the Totality. Swamp Thing and the JLD appear in the cafeteria in the Hall of Justice in two panels.

Swamp Thing Halloween Horror Giant (2018) #1“Hollow”, December 2018
Brian Azzarello [w], Greg Capullo [p, c]A woman named Twiglet loses one of her eyes when she attempts to open a doorway to the underworld and needs to be rescued by Swamp Thing. On the night of Halloween, Twiglet encounters monsters who have kidnapped some children. Swamp Thing again rescues Twiglet and the children, explaining that people must fear him if he is to defeat The Barren.This book also reprints the Swamp Thing origin story from House of Secrets #92 (June/July 1971).

Cursed Comics Cavalcade (2018) #1“The Spread” (pp.1-8), December 2018
Tim Seeley [w], Kyle Hotz [p]Erin Wagner is a biologist who has experimented on herself in an attempt to turn human cells into plant fibre. From within the Green, she witnesses plants tranform into flesh and attack her. Swamp Thing arrives, healing Erin’s body in the physical world and expelling her from the Green. Swampy explains that her experiment would have turned into a mutant virus that would have transformed all plant matter into flesh.

[w] denotes writer, [p] denotes penciller, but I have included both penciller and inker if both are credited equally as artists. [c] denotes cover artist, but I have mostly only included the last in instances where Swampy is illustrated by someone other than the inside penciller.